Looking back: The history of the Texas Rangers' postseason appearances

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Rangers Julio Borbon (29) and teammates celebrate a victory over the New York Yankees during American League Championship Series in game six at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on October 22, 2010, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 6-1 to win the AL championship.

Now that the Rangers' 2016 season has come to an end, SportsDayDFW.com looks back on every postseason trip this franchise has made since moving to Texas in 1972.

1996 - AL West champions (90-72), lost 3-1 to the New York Yankees in the ALDS

File photo 1996/The Associated Press

Rangers pitcher John Burkett throws in the first inning against the New York Yankees in the American League division series Tuesday, Oct. 1, 1996 in New York. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm)

It took 24 years, but in 1996, the Rangers finally won their first division title and made their first appearance in the postseason.

They got off to a great start with a 10-2 victory over the Yankees in New York behind a John Burkett complete game.

In Game 2, the Rangers lost on a 12th inning walkoff, they gave up a ninth inning lead in Game 3, and New York would finish them off in Texas behind a 4-2 win in Game 4.

1998 - AL West champions (88-74), lost 3-0 to the New York Yankees in the ALDS

File photo 1998

Rangers starter Rick Helling sits alone in the dugout after Texas lost 3-1 in Game 2 of the 1998 Division Series at Yankee Stadium Wednesday, Sept. 30, 1998 in New York.

After their second division title in 1998, the Rangers once again ran into their postseason kryptonite - the New York Yankees.

David Wells, Andy Pettitte, David Cone, and Mariano Rivera held the Rangers to one run over three games as the Yankees swept the Rangers.

1999 - AL West champions (95-67), lost 3-0 to the New York Yankees in the ALDS

Fiel photo 1999

Rangers' manager Johnny Oates, left, takes the ball from Rangers' pitcher Aaron Sele after Sele is taken out of the game during the sixth inning of game one of the AL division series Tuesday, Oct. 5, 1999, in New York.

There's a trend here...

Another division title, the first back-to-back titles in franchise history, but again, the Rangers drew the Yankees in the first round.

A Texas Ranger only crossed home plate one time in three games against the likes of Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Orlando Hernandez as the Yankees swept the Rangers out of the playoffs for the second consecutive year

2010 - AL West champions (90-72), defeated Tampa Bay 3-2 in the ALDS, defeated the New York Yankees 4-2 in the ALCS, lost 4-1 to the San Francisco Giants in the World Series

File photo 2010

Rangers Neftali Feliz (30) and Bengie Molina (11) celebrate after the final out against the New York Yankees during American League Championship Series in Game 6 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on October 22, 2010, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 6-1 to win the AL championship.

A mid-season trade with the Seattle Mariners brought in exactly what the Rangers needed to get over the hump - ace pitcher Cliff Lee.

Lee was masterful in performances against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees, leading the Rangers to their first American League championship in franchise history.

Unfortunately, the Rangers would go on to lose in the World Series to the San Francisco Giants, their first of three World Series trophies to come in the next five years.

2011 - AL West champions (96-66), defeated Tampa Bay 3-1 in the ALDS, defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-2 in the ALCS, lost 4-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series

Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News

Texas P C.J. Wilson, right, squirts OF Josh Hamilton, left, with ginger ale after Game 6 of the American League Championship Series between the Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. The Ranger win 15 - 5 (Louis DeLuca/Dallas Morning News)

They had won back-to-back division titles in the 1990s, but in 2010-2011, they took it to another level.

But one of the highest of highs in the history of the franchise will always be clouded by how the season ended.

Images of the fly ball that went over the head of Nelson Cruz in right field, and the home run hit by David Freese in Game 6 of the World Series against the Cardinals will be burned into the memories of Rangers fans forever.

Texas Rangers players and fans watch David Murphy's fly ball being caught to end the Rangers season during their American League Wild Card playoff loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on October 5, 2012. The Rangers lost 5-1. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News)

In the offseason, the Rangers lost pitcher C.J. Wilson to the rival Los Angeles Angels in free agency, but in return, they landed Japanese-sensation Yu Darvish.

Everything was going to plan. The Rangers spent 156 games of the year in first place by themselves.

Then, the Rangers lost seven of their last nine games, and the Oakland A's, a team who had been 13 games out over the summer, stole the division title, forcing the Rangers to play in the first ever one-game Wild Card playoff.

The Rangers would lose to the Baltimore Orioles, led by former Texas manager Buck Showalter, in the Wild Card round.

2013 - Game 163 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-2

Texas pitcher Yu Darvish is pictured in the dugout in the ninth inning during the Tampa Bay Rays vs. the Texas Rangers major league baseball tie-breaker game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Monday, September 30, 2013. (Louis DeLuca/Dallas Morning News)

This one-game extension of the regular season was not considered a playoff game, but for all intents and purposes, it was.

Martin Perez did his best to throw with one of the top pitchers in the game, but David Price's complete game fueled the Rays past the Rangers and into the playoffs.

2015 - AL West champions (88-74), lost to Toronto 3-2 in the ALDS

Staff Photographer

Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus (1) sits alone in the dugout after the final out in the Rangers 6-3 loss during Game 5 of the ALDS between the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada on Wednesday, October 14, 2015. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News)

Texas had no business in the 2015 postseason. The team started the season 8-16 and was under .500 as late as mid-August. But the team caught fire over the last six weeks of the season to clinch the AL West on the final day of the season and earn rookie manager Jeff Banister AL Manager of the Year honors.

What followed was one of the most memorable playoff series in Rangers history. The Rangers were the underdogs against the Toronto Blue Jays but won the first two games on the road to move within one win of the ALCS. But Toronto returned the favor in Arlington to even the series and force a winner-take-all Game 5 in Canada.

The Rangers took a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh of Game 5. But the Blue Jays rallied for four runs in the bottom frame of the inning, with errors from Elvis Andrus and Chris Gimenez compounding Texas pitchers' struggles. The inning culminated with Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista's infamous bat flip, which sparked a fierce rivalry between the two teams that boiled over when Rougned Odor punched Bautista in the jaw in May.

2016 - AL West champions (95-67), lost to Toronto 3-0 in the ALDS

Staff Photographer

Texas Rangers right fielder Shin-Soo Choo (17) watches the Blue Jays celebrate on the field after their 7-6 win to clinch the series during the Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays major league baseball ALDS Game 3 at the Roger Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Sunday, October 9, 2016. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News)

The Rangers clinched home-field advantage throughout the 2016 postseason with the best record in the AL. But the team lost momentum towards the end of the season as the starting pitching began to struggle.

That pitching inconsistency came back to bite Texas in October as Ranger starting pitching was consistently awful in the three games against the Blue Jays. Instead of avenging the loss to Toronto in the 2015 ALDS, the Rangers were swept out the postseason unceremoniously.